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...After entering Spirit City, Xuan Ming did not immediately go to Qian Renxue, but first went to the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Bibi Dong seemed to have already sensed his return. As he walked into the great hall, she was standing by the window, gazing at the city below. A hint of unhidden fatigue was on her beautiful profile, but her eyes remained sharp and determined.
"You're back?" Bibi Dong turned around, her purple-gold eyes looking at Xuan Ming, her tone calm.
"Mm." Xuan Ming nodded, stepped forward, and without any pleasantries, directly raised his hand. An exquisitely designed Storage Ring with a complex internal structure appeared in his hand.
"This is something I brought back from the Sun Moon Continent." He handed the ring to Bibi Dong. "Inside are the Sun Moon Empire's most core and comprehensive data on spirit tool technology, including basic principles, development history, and design blueprints for various common spirit tools, from military weapons to civilian facilities, everything is there."
Bibi Dong took the ring, and with a slight sweep of her Divine Sense, her eyes instantly burst forth with astonishing brilliance! With her knowledge, she immediately realized how immense the value of this data was!
Over the past six months, she had been reorganizing the internal affairs of the Spirit Empire. Although she had forcefully suppressed the chaos, mere order without the Foundation to maintain it made this stability false.
The Douluo Continent's productivity was extremely backward, and its social structure rigid. The fundamental reason lay in the concept of "Spirit Master supremacy" which shackled everyone's thoughts.
Ordinary people completely placed their hopes of changing their fate on the ethereal Spirit Awakening, never thinking of improving themselves through knowledge and tools.
And the Spirit Master class was obsessed with improving individual combat power, neglecting the promotion of overall social productivity.
And these spirit tool technologies could precisely break this deadlock! They would allow ordinary people to gain power with the help of tools, greatly improve production efficiency, enhance people's livelihoods, and fundamentally change the operating model of society!
With these technologies, she was confident in gradually dismantling the old interest groups and building a truly powerful Empire with a solid Foundation! This was far more reliable than simply relying on military deterrence!
Although promoting these technologies would inevitably touch upon the interests of the existing Spirit Master class, and the resistance would be very great.
However, now, the thing she cared about least was resistance!
Any stumbling block that dared to stand in her way, no matter what it was, no matter who it was, would be crushed by her!
After Xuan Ming handed the ring containing the spirit tool technology to Bibi Dong, he did not immediately leave the Supreme Pontiff Palace. Instead, as if he had found an excuse, he lingered.
He first asked about Bibi Dong's progress in controlling the Asura Demon Sword, listening to her talk about her insights and difficulties in Cultivating, occasionally offering some of his own opinions.
Afterward, he led the conversation to the current state of the Spirit Empire.
"Are the Two Great Empires behaving themselves lately? Do I need to pay them another visit to deepen their impression?" Xuan Ming's tone was very calm, but the meaning in his words carried an unquestionable ruthlessness.
Bibi Dong glanced at him, then shook her head: "Not for now. Star Luo and Heaven Dou are both very quiet now, especially Heaven Dou. Xue Ye is gravely ill, and undercurrents are surging internally, leaving them no time for other matters. Your deterrent power is still effective."
"That's good." Xuan Ming nodded, seemingly regretting not finding a reason to act.
In the following days, Xuan Ming became even more brazen.
He launched spatial shuttles again and again, crossing the vast ocean, appearing directly in the imperial palace of the Sun Moon Empire.
Facing this ominous star who could even subdue their "Guardian God" Evil Emperor, how could the Sun Moon Imperial Family dare to show any neglect?
Xuan Ming directly demanded the most top-notch spirit tool design Grandmaster, theoretical experts, and even skilled artisans.
Then, he directly brought these bewildered Sun Moon Empire elites back to Spirit City like he was carrying little chickens, and threw them before Bibi Dong.
"You use these people first. If you don't understand anything, or if they don't cooperate, just tell me directly," Xuan Ming said to Bibi Dong, his tone matter-of-fact.
Before long, in just over half a month, the Spirit City Spirit Tool Research Institute began to take shape at an astonishing speed. The technology from the Sun Moon Continent and the Spirit Master system of the Douluo Continent began their initial collision and Fusion.
And Xuan Ming, using this as an excuse, practically spent every day at the Supreme Pontiff Palace, discussing "imperial affairs" with Bibi Dong, ostensibly to ensure the smooth introduction of technology, but in reality, enjoying this rare and undisturbed time together.
Although Bibi Dong saw through his little scheme, she didn't expose him. After all, she also enjoyed this peace, so she let him be.
He busied himself, seemingly dedicating all his energy to helping Bibi Dong stabilize the Empire and develop technology, never mentioning Qian Renxue, and seemingly completely forgetting the unfinished Fourth Trial on Sea God Island.
Inside the Supreme Pontiff Palace, he and Bibi Dong could often be seen standing side by side, discussing matters. Although there were no overly intimate gestures between them, the invisible tacit understanding and the lingering atmosphere made Gu Yuena's face grow colder by the day.
Finally, when Xuan Ming once again returned "fully loaded" from the Sun Moon Continent, just as he was about to show Bibi Dong a new batch of precise spirit tool blueprints, Gu Yuena could no longer tolerate it. Her figure, like a silver lightning bolt, directly burst into the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
"Xuan Ming, how much longer are you going to drag this out?"
Xuan Ming's movements paused, and he slowly turned around, his face expressionless.
Bibi Dong also looked up, her purple-gold eyes calmly gazing at Gu Yuena, not speaking, but an invisible majesty had already permeated the air.
Gu Yuena completely ignored Bibi Dong. Her gaze was fixed only on Xuan Ming: "It's been over half a month. What did you come back for? Are you trying to escape this way, or are you... determined to smash the pot?"
Xuan Ming remained silent, neither admitting nor denying. He simply stood there, his eyes lowered, looking at the ground, as if Gu Yuena's questioning had nothing to do with him.
But this silence, in itself, was an answer.
Gu Yuena's heart sank. She had guessed correctly. Xuan Ming's current state was like a string being constantly pulled, about to reach its limit. This "Severing of Affections" assessment from the God Realm had completely touched his inverse scale, making him feel fooled and coerced.
He really couldn't hold back much longer.
He could accept the God Realm setting up difficult and dangerous trials, even if it meant a narrow escape from death, that was the path he chose, and he accepted it.
But to "test" him in such a way that involved the emotions of those around him, almost toying with people's hearts, this had already exceeded his acceptable bottom line.
More importantly, he smelled an extremely dangerous signal from this—was the God Realm trying to control him through this method? Using the people he cared about to threaten him and force him to comply?
If not, why create such an absurd "Severing of Affections"? Was Bo Saixi's appearance and that hidden Godly Trial a "recruitment" signal from the Sea God, wanting to bind him with a gentle trap?
He wasn't sure, but this feeling of being manipulated by an invisible hand, of having his weakness seized, made him extremely uncomfortable, even feeling intense anger and... a hint of betrayal's chill.
He felt that his attitude was already clear enough, and he had shown enough "sincerity"—he did not choose to run away directly with Gu Yuena, planning to go to war with the God Realm in the future, but was willing to accept the assessment, hoping to solve the problem in a relatively peaceful way, and was willing to bear the corresponding costs and constraints.
But the God Realm's response seemed to be telling him: your sincerity is insignificant, we have many ways to control you.
This feeling of being toyed with and coerced made the destructive desire in his chest stir again.
This silence, this almost passive resistance, was precisely the accumulated dissatisfaction in his heart and a premonition of an impending outburst.
...